Love of a Mother
by Kai19
Summary: A mother fled her home to protect her two sons... She died in the process, and now the elder must take care of his younger brother. But what if he doesn't want the elder brother's help? My one-shot grew!
1. For the Love of a Mother

Okay, I'm re-posting this, just for the heck of it. The first time I put it up, no one reviewed, so I took it down, only to find I had 2 reviews. I felt loved. When I re-posted, I came away with 3. I'm hoping more will read and review this time.  
  
OH NO! Another one-shot!! AHH!  
  
Okay, got that out of my system. Hope you like, and feel free to stop by my website!! Please!! No one does!!  
  
And they're NOT MINE! (I wish, though...)  
  
~~~~~~~  
  
Love of a Mother  
They were coming closer.  
  
She held her son closer to her breast as she ran, her other hand tightening around her elder son's as she led him away from the place he had always lived. He was confused, and curious, and scared. She could tell he was because he would look at her, back at their fading home, and then to the horizon, where the mob was steadily coming closer, aiming for only one target.  
  
Them.  
  
Her husband and protector was gone. Dead. He died defending her, and she knew that the moment word of his death spread, everyone would come to them, wanting them dead. Her elder son, not really her son by blood, but by choice and by love, would have been fine on his own from most of them, but it was a mother's instincts to protect her children, no matter that one of them was able to lift her over his head if given permission.  
  
Glancing down at the 14-year-old next to her, she knew what she would have to do. If he ran, he could make it to safety. And the others would stop to kill her before going on after the children, and by then they would be far away. Tightening her grip on her sleeping baby, she made her decision. She slowed, then stopped, and kneeled before her eldest child, looking him in the eyes, which so reminded her of her love.  
  
"Sweetheart? I need you to do me a favor..." He nodded at her, his face serious for the first time in a long time, since his baby brother had been born. "I need you to take your brother, and get as far away as you can, okay? Stay to the trees, or to the air, but stop for no one if you can possibly help it. If a youkai stops you, asking where I am, I want you to tell him you killed me." His eyes grew wide at this, and his jaw fell.  
  
"But... Mother..." She had to smile. He had started calling her "Mother" after her babe had begun saying "Mama", since he felt the need to be more mature than a child 11 years younger than he.  
  
"Love, listen to me. It's the only way." He was slowly shaking his head, refusing to leave her, but she reached out and pulled him closer, hugging him. "Please. Take him and go. Tell everyone you killed me. They'll leave you alone, then. Keep your brother a secret if you can, and train hard, and teach him as well. Then, when you're strong, like I know you will be, go back to our home and regain what's yours. Please?"  
  
She watched, her heart aching as his eyes began to tear up, a single drop sliding down his face as he embraced the woman he had begun to care about. "But why can't Father teach us? Where is father??" She sighed, knowing this had been coming up, and fearing his reaction.  
  
"He's gone, sweetheart. I'm so sorry... They killed him because they don't like humans, like you and your father did. They hated me, and they hated the fact that your brother is half-human." She felt herself begin to cry, and was surprised as the boy tightened his grip on her. 'Wow, he's going to be one strong man someday,' she thought.  
  
Shaking her head, she realized the voices were becoming louder and clearer. With a final squeeze, she released her son, and stared into the deep golden eyes both he and his brother had inherited from their father. She dropped a kiss onto her baby's forehead, making the three-year-old whimper in his sleep, and handed him over to his brother. "Take care of him for me, okay?" He nodded, and she noticed the dark spot on his forehead when his bangs moved. She didn't have to look closer, she knew what it was. It was his father's mark, now his mark. She pushed him gently away, and turned to run back towards the voices, hoping to stall them long enough to save her beloved children.  
  
~~*~~  
  
'Keep him safe, and train hard, and teach him as well..." The boy leapt into the air, a trick his father had recently taught him, and floated on a cloud of energy in the opposite direction his mother ran, never knowing that she would meet up with the mob only moments later. Never knowing that she had refused to give them her children, and had willingly died to keep them safe. All he knew was that his father and his second mother was gone. He was alone, except for the child in his arms.  
  
Finally, after an hour of flying, his energy began to drain and he began to get tired. He quickly found a place to land, next to a stream, and tried to make the baby stop whimpering in his sleep. As he drank the cool water from the spring, though, a kappa (water imp/demon) glared at him from further downstream.  
  
"You! I know you! You're the son of that human bitch your father took in! Where is she, huh boy?!" While this was being said, the brother moved closer to protect his younger sibling, and the kappa angrily swam closer and closer. And for the first time ever, and certainly not the last, the taller boy set his face to try and hide any emotions, and said the words he hated so much.  
  
"I killed her." Even though he was young, he could tell that the water imp was somewhat unnerved by the cold look he was receiving from the being before him.  
  
"Oh really? And why's that?" The son racked his brain, trying to think of a good enough lie to tell, then remembered his step-mother's words. 'They don't like humans like you and your father did...'  
  
"I hate humans. She disgusted me." Inwardly, he flinched, and he prayed to whatever gods there were out there that his brother was still sleeping, and hadn't heard what he said. But while he silently apologized to his lost family, the kappa seemed to be pleased.  
  
"Good! Finally! A youkai who knows what's right and what's wrong! What is your name, by the way?" He hadn't been expected to be asked this, but he figured he might as well answer. He supposed the imp wanted his name so that he could tell everyone he killed his mother, but that was her wish, so...  
  
"My name is Sesshoumaru. Do not forget it." He straightened up, tossing his long silver hair over his shoulder, trying to look imposing and emotionless. It must have worked, because the kappa seemed to be nervous before bowing and muttering a quiet "Hai, Lord Sesshoumaru", before departing, leaving at a speed that would have rivaled his own.  
  
The young demon, surprised at his new title, glanced at his sleeping brother before going to look at his reflection in the stream. He looked too sad, too gentle, too... weak. He could never protect his brother by being weak! And so, as he stared at his reflection, he schooled his face into a cold, emotionless mask, and glared at the water. Good. But he still looked somewhat childish.  
  
He sighed and splashed cold water on his face before running his clawed fingers through his hair. Then he noticed the blue crescent moon on his forehead. Parting his bangs, he stared at the symbol that used to mark his father as the ruler of the Western Lands. Now he was the Lord of the Western Lands.  
  
Straightening up proudly, Sesshoumaru made sure to keep his bangs parted, in order to let all know his status, hoping it would keep threats away. Then he reached around and stared at his tail, which was currently curling around his waist, too long to let swing freely for fear of dragging on the ground. He tried to decide what to do with it, but finally gave up when he heard his brother cry out in pain.  
  
The young lord ran to his brother, who had seemed to have awoken and tried to come to see his elder sibling, only to be stopped by something. When Sesshoumaru arrived, he helped his brother stand and looked into his face.  
  
"Are you alright?" The small boy looked up at him with eyes so much like his own, and pouted.  
  
"I was coming to find you, big brother, and something got in my eye..." The elder child looked at his brother's right eye, which had recently been rubbed almost raw in pain and annoyance. He couldn't see anything, but led him over to the stream, dripping the cool liquid onto the young one's face, washing out whatever could have been caught.  
  
"Better, Inuyasha?" At his younger brother's nod, Sesshoumaru smiled and picked the boy up, sitting next to a tree with the child in his lap. He began to rock the hanyou back and forth, hoping to calm him down, only to end up drifting off to sleep himself.  
  
~~*~~  
  
It was like a broken record, almost. He stared at the 17th demon to catch them, demanding his mother. And for the young lord, it was too many. He finally snapped.  
  
"I'll tell you the same thing I've told every other youkai between here and my home. SHE'S DEAD! I KILLED HER! I KILLED HER BECAUSE SHE WAS A HUMAN, AND HUMANS ARE DISGUSTING CREATURES!" The youkai was shocked, but not as much as the demon lord himself. He had actually let his control slip, and yelled at this large monster. Unfortunately for Sesshoumaru, the worst was yet to come.  
  
The young lord's anger became so strong, he simply desired to lash out at his enemy, and make him feel the pain he suffered. His hand began to tingle, and he glanced down at it, only to be shocked by the sight of his entire hand glowing yellow, and a slight wisp of something stretching from it. Sesshoumaru lifted his hand up, then brought it down quickly, focusing his anger and hurt into that light, only to watch it glow brighter, and become longer and thicker. Then the downward motion drove it at the youkai, destroying it instantly.  
  
He was in such shock at the disappearance of such a large youkai, he never noticed his sobbing baby brother come over to look at him, having heard the yelled 'confession'. Inuyasha finally gained his brother's attention when he stood in front of him, sobbing uncontrollably.  
  
"You killed her? You killed Mama? You killed her like you killed that monster?" Sesshoumaru stared into his brother's pained eyes, shocked at the rage growing in the younger boy. "I HATE YOU, SESSHOUMARU! I hate you!" And with that, the young hanyou leapt into the trees, racing off at a high speed, and the newly appointed demon lord lost the last remnants of family he had ever had.  
  
Sinking to the ground in despair, he tried to think of how he should calm his brother down once he found him, and make him listen to the truth.  
  
'Inuyasha... You don't really think I killed her, do you? I loved her like my own mother... She told me to say that... I thought you trusted me... Mother told me to get you away, she said...' The memories flooded back to him, and he heard his mother's voice again, telling him that the reason they had to go was because she was a human, and they hated her for her humanity, and hated Inuyasha for his heritage. His rage grew as he came to his own conclusions, finally deciding to leave his brother be, but follow him and guard him while he trained. While they both trained.  
  
'Inuyasha. Mother told me to teach you, to make you grow strong. And I will, just like father taught me. I will return, little brother, and fight you until you are strong enough to defeat me. And even then, I will fight you. Because if it hadn't been for you, then maybe none of the youkai would have known about mother and father... and if it hadn't been for you, then I could have carried mother away. But mother loved you, and I swore to protect you and make you strong. And I will.'  
  
'I still love you, but... I hate you, Inuyasha. It's your fault they're gone. And now I'm alone again... I hate you, Inuyasha... I hate you, my beloved little brother...'  
  
~~*~~~  
  
And so, a legacy of hatred and disgust began between two brothers, torn apart by their love for the same woman...  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
Okay, I have no clue where the heck this came from. It's called being bored in English class. Scary, huh? Well, I guess review and tell me what you think! 


	2. The Tenseiga is Found!

Okay, this was intended to be a one-shot, but I was asked for a 2nd chapter. And to the ones who asked... THIS IS FOR YOU!!!  
  
I don't own them!!  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
Ch. 2 Tenseiga's First Time  
  
Sesshoumaru sighed as he stared at his reflection. It had been almost a year since that fateful night, when their parents had died, and even less since Inuyasha had ran away, yelling his hatred for his half-brother as he did so. The young Demon Lord flinched slightly at the pain the memory caused. That was probably what hurt him the most out of everything. Seeing his younger brother's face contort in pure hatred as he fled, leaving the elder brother to be alone, all over again.  
  
Schooling his face back into it's expressionless mask, Sesshoumaru stood and continued to make his way to the palace he had been born and raised in. He could have been there by now, but he had been defending his brother all these months, and was using this night to go and see if there was a weapon he could possibly give Inuyasha that the hanyou would not refuse. He had chosen to go this night, the night of the new moon, simply because the dark would work to conceal both he and his brother, whom he had left sleeping in a tree.  
  
Inuyasha still didn't know he was being watched over by the very brother he hated. He would catch the scent, they would have a short fight, or a sparring session as Sesshoumaru thought of it, and then the elder would leave, sometimes coming back while Inuyasha was in a deep sleep, trying to heal, in order to help clean the wounds. Sesshoumaru could get by very well with his new glowing whip. In fact, it was one of his preferred weapons. He had finally been able to master it, to make it appear at his will, and now felt that his younger brother should also receive a weapon. That was why he wanted to search through his father's armory, in hopes of finding something Inuyasha could use.  
  
When he landed before the palatial home, his eyes widened in recognition and dismay. His home had become darker, more desolate without his family in it, but it had not been ransacked as he had thought. There were still some youkai servants inside it, in fact. One of these servants found him the moment he stepped foot in the door.  
  
"MASTER SESSHOUMARU!" Trying not to wince at the loud cry, Sesshoumaru turned to look at the green demon bowing before him. 'What was his name again??' The prince was at a loss until the groveling youkai spoke again.  
  
"This Jaken is so relieved to see you, my lord!" 'Jaken, huh? Maybe he knows where Father's armory is' Placing the emotionless mask he had come to perfect back on his face, Sesshoumaru looked away from the small person before him and down the hall.  
  
"Jaken." The servant's head snapped up as the young lord kept his voice cold. "Take me to my father's armory. Now." Without another word, the toad-like youkai leapt up and began to run down the hall, Sesshoumaru easily keeping up with the other demon's short strides. A few turns and corridors later, Sesshoumaru found himself before his parent's room.  
  
"I said the armory, Jaken. Not his room." But Jaken insisted the armory was inside the room, and Sesshoumaru reluctantly entered. There, preserved almost perfectly, was his parent's bed, looking as though they were going to come home and sleep in it. To his left was a closet where he knew his father's kimonos and other clothes were, to the right was his mother's closet, and farther away, in the furthest corner away from the door where he stood, was another door. He looked down at his kimono, taking in its haggard appearance. He knew Inuyasha's red silk kimono and hakama, like his own, were faded and nearly threadbare. But they had been specially made, in order to hold together longer than any other outfits.  
  
With a soft sigh, the prince made his way to his father's closet, not wanting to disturb anything, but knowing what must be done. He opened the door to reveal his father's white kimonos and hakamas, the white haoris bearing a red sakura pattern on the left shoulder and sleeves. Wincing slightly, Sesshoumaru watched as Jaken grabbed a set of clothing and laid it out on his parent's bed, saying that it was the outfit that the Taiyoukai was to wear, and since he was now the Taiyoukai, these were now his clothes. While the servant rummaged through the closet once more, Sesshoumaru hurriedly changed into his father's clothes, noting that while they were slightly large for him, a mere 15-year-old, there was room to grow.  
  
Jaken reappeared with a yellow sash, purple decorating each end. He told Sesshoumaru that it was worn over his armor, to secure his sword. When the young youkai merely raised a curious eyebrow, Jaken leapt up and ran over to the door that the new lord had noticed, telling him that the armory was behind it, and that his weapons were in there.  
  
Without another word, Sesshoumaru stepped through the door Jaken held open, and made his way into the other room. There, perched everywhere, where weapons. And in one corner, lay another closet. When Sesshoumaru opened this one, his eyes widened at what he saw. Inside, was a set of clothing just like the ones Inuyasha wore now, the same blood-red color, but this fabric, much coarser, and larger made, as though their mother had sewn it for when her son grew to be a man. Next to it was a smaller set, followed by a smaller set, until finally there was an outfit that would fit the child Inuyasha was now. Sesshoumaru touched the fabric, only to realize that it was fire-rat's fur, perfect for the young hanyou. With a quiet sniff, Sesshoumaru could make out their parents' scent, confirming that it had been their parents that made this outfit, not any seamstress.  
  
Almost out of nowhere, Jaken ran over to him, or, tried, rather, as he was carrying what appeared to be a heavy set of armor. Sesshoumaru lifted it up and looked it over. It was bone armor, also very strong. He slipped the piece over his head, noticing how the spikes on the shoulder cuff and top ridge made him appear much more deadly than before. With a slight smirk of satisfaction, Sesshoumaru took the sash from the waiting Jaken's hands and wrapped it about his waist, hiding the fact that it was all one piece.  
  
No sooner than he had tied the knot of the thin piece of cloth, his eyes lit upon a sword resting over the doorway, as though to keep anyone from touching it. With a curious look, Sesshoumaru made his way to the katana and stared up at it. Focusing his energy, he rose up to the sword's level and reached out to grab its sheath. The sword felt warm in his hand, almost welcoming, and Sesshoumaru placed his other hand on the blue-silk wrapped hilt. From the sword's resting place a piece of paper fell, having lost its support. The young prince retrieved the paper and read over the words scrawled there, his heart twisting in pain.  
  
"My Dearest Sesshoumaru,  
  
If you're reading this, then I haven't been able to give you this sword myself. This is the Tenseiga. It was forged from one of my fangs, and will serve you well. There is another sword, forged from my other fang, called Tetsusaiga. The swordsmith Toutousai made these for me, one for you, and one for your brother. They will serve you both well.  
  
I wish, my dear son, I could sit here and write to you and tell you everything I will probably never be able to explain to you later. But I can tell you this. Protect your brother, he is not as powerful as you, and his demon blood leaves him once a month, rendering him helpless. You must be extra careful on these nights, as many would want to kill him, and during this time he is a much easier target.  
  
Tenseiga was made for you, my son. Your heart made me make this sword for you. I know how much you suffered when your real mother died, and I know how much you'd suffer if you lost your brother. And so, your sword is a healing one. It will let you heal 100 people with one stroke. You will even be able to bring a person back from the dead, so long as the carriers of the dead have not already taken their soul.  
  
But Tetsusaiga is its counterpart. I know Inuyasha will need all the strength he can get, him being a hanyou son of a Taiyoukai, and so Tetsusaiga was made with massive destructive power. It has a technique, like yours, called the Kaze no Kizu, which can be used to destroy 100 demons in one fell swoop.  
  
And now, my son, I must say goodbye. It is the night of the new moon, you see, and I must go to watch over your brother, as I know you will one day do in my stead.  
  
Your father,  
  
InuTaisho"  
  
When his eyes rested on the words "night of the new moon", his heart leapt into his throat. He was glad both he and Inuyasha had weapons, but he would have to find this "Tetsusaiga" later. His father had said that Inuyasha would turn human one night a month, and now warned of the night of the new moon, which could only mean one thing. His head snapped up.  
  
'Inuyasha's human tonight.'  
  
Quickly, the demon lord sped to the closet holding his brother's armored clothing, scooping the smallest set up in his arms before tucking his sword, Tenseiga, into the sash at his waist. The paper still in his hand, Sesshoumaru raced off to where he had left Inuyasha, wondering how he could have missed his brother's transformations. Then it hit him. At night, he would stay farther away from his brother, only coming close if Inuyasha seemed to be under attack, but making sure that didn't happen by spending those nights going in circles around Inuyasha's chosen bed, destroying any and all youkai in his path. And before then, his parents had always kept them apart on certain nights, and now he knew why.  
  
Even before he arrived, Sesshoumaru could smell the stench of blood heavy in the air. Angrily, he drew his new sword, ready to kill whatever it was that spilled his younger brother's blood. Coming from behind the huge youkai, Sesshoumaru dropped Inuyasha's armor and sliced the demon neatly down the middle, a small bark of triumph coming from his throat before he saw it. There was no cut on the youkai!! His sword wouldn't cut!!  
  
His sword could heal, but not cut. How wrong was that? He turned to look at his brother, his eyes widening when he saw the bloodied clothing, and the violet eyes staring off into space, black hair forming a dark halo around the head of his brother. His now-human brother. He looked so much like their mother... A flare of hatred boiled up inside him as he looked over his dead brother. His grip tightened on the Tenseiga's hilt, and his father's words came back to him, the ones about how the sword could revive the dead.  
  
The youkai swung at him, and Sesshoumaru threw the sword at the tree behind his brother, making sure not to actually strike the human Inuyasha, but also not straying too far above. The moment his hand released it, though, that same hand began to glow with his pure hatred for the thing that killed his brother. A drop of liquid fell to the ground, and Sesshoumaru thought at first it was sweat or blood, until he heard the grass sizzle where the greenish liquid had fallen. 'It's some kind of acid,' he realized and immediately thrust his hand towards the demon, the fluid rushing from his fingertips and claws directly at the monster, who released a shrill cry as it began to melt before the stunned prince.  
  
He was brought of his stupor, though, when he heard a faint heartbeat reach his ears. Spinning around, his eyes locked onto a breathing Inuyasha, his eyes closed from having not blinked in so long, and from the pain he no doubt was in. Hurriedly, Sesshoumaru retrieved his sword and leapt up into the air, standing on one of the higher branches were his human brother couldn't see him.  
  
When Inuyasha's eyes snapped open, though, Sesshoumaru sucked in a breath. Those deep violet eyes reminded him so much of their mother... the woman who had died to save the two of them... He watched as the hanyou - no, human - looked himself over, taking in his clothes' ragged state. The small boy sighed, then saw the outfit laying nearby. Sesshoumaru knew it would fit him well, and watched as the child looked it over before deciding to change. The elder brother used this chance to make sure there were no wounds left on his younger sibling, and was relieved when he found none. 'It seems the Tenseiga not only revived him, it healed him as well. I may keep this sword around, after all. Now I just have to find that other one, Tetsusaiga, for Inuyasha. Then he'll have a weapon, and I can really get to work on his training.'  
  
Then he looked at his hand, which had early produced the green acid-like poison. 'I never knew I had poison claws... Looks like I have something new to work with...' Then he looked past his hand to see his tail dangling far enough to get Inuyasha's attention, were he to look up from tying his hakama in place and slipping on his haori. Quickly, Sesshoumaru lifted his tail up and stared at it, trying to figure out what he should do with it. In the end, he merely tossed it over his right shoulder, since his left had the spiked cuff of the bone armor covering it, and he didn't want to hurt his tail.  
  
Turning his eyes back to Inuyasha, he felt a small swell of pride at the sight of his brother. The human boy had put on his armor and was currently trying to find somewhere to sleep. But the exhaustion became too great for him, and he fell to the ground. Quickly, Sesshoumaru leapt down and lifted his younger brother into his arms, carrying him as he made his way back west, closer to their home. He knew Inuyasha would not go back there willingly, and he knew that were he to wake up and see who was carrying him, he would fight back. But Sesshoumaru needed to keep the young one safe, while still being close enough to the castle, their home, to be able to return and search the armory for the Tetsusaiga.  
  
He would find it one day, he swore to himself silently. 'I will find it, and then I will train Inuyasha to be the fighter I know he can be. But until I do, I shall have to find some attacks for him to perform with his bare claws. Hm...'  
  
~~*~~  
  
And so, the Demon Lord of the Western Lands, Sesshoumaru, became obsessed in finding Tetsusaiga.  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
Well, the end of another chapter!! I didn't intend to leave it there, but if you ask me nicely, I'll consider making yet another chapter, telling how Jaken got the staff of heads, how Inuyasha learned his attacks, and anything else you ask me to explain!! Until then, Ja ne!!! 


	3. Staff of Heads, Sankontetsou, and Memori...

I don't own them  
  
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Ch. 3 The Staff of Heads, Sankontetsou, and Memories  
  
He stared at the mussed room, his eyes narrowing in annoyance. He had been searching all day, and had yet to find even a HINT as to where his brother's sword was hidden. Sesshoumaru had thought that it would have been like his own sword, set out of the reach of young hands, but he was unable to find it anywhere. Growling slightly in annoyance, the new Taiyoukai wondered as to what he could do to find the old sword.  
  
When a sharp prick hit his neck, he quickly swatted it, only to pull his hand away and stare down at Myouga, the flea-demon that tended to be like a historian for his father. An idea popped into the youkai's head, and he held the squished flea between his index finger and thumb while he waited for the older youkai to gather his wits. The moment he saw that the flea had returned to normal, he asked the question he so desperately wanted an answer to.  
  
"Where is the Tetsusaiga?" Sure, he could have asked nicer, but his family was either dead or hated him, and his day was steadily becoming worse as the anger of not finding that stupid sword his father left Inuyasha increased.  
  
"L-Lord Sesshoumaru!! I did not truly think you had returned!!" When Sesshoumaru's golden eyes narrowed, the retainer cleared his throat and continued on in a hopeful voice. "Um, well, you see... Lord Inutaisho had left it with a man and his daughter. The man was a priest, and was supposed to add a seal to bind your brother's youkai blood, and prevent him from losing control when his life was in danger. But when your father died, they never returned with the sword."  
  
NOW he was angry. A human, a priest, had taken his brother's sword, made from his father's fang. In seconds, the temperature in the room had dropped as Sesshoumaru's glare as one that could freeze Hell and make the Lord of the Underworld himself ask for a sweater.  
  
He dropped the tiny youkai and turned to leave, not noticing how the flea had decided to stay with him and see WHY he wanted the Tetsusaiga so badly.  
  
~~*~~  
  
The urge was REALLY strong. Just to turn around and kick the little toad in the head for all the remarks he was making against humans. How they were weak and slow, and more trouble than they were worth. After tossing a rock over his shoulder to connect with the other demon's head, Sesshoumaru continued in the way Jaken had directed him.  
  
It seemed that the toad had known where the people who were to bind Tetsusaiga were, even if he did not know where Tetsusaiga was in the first place. As he approached an old hut, he noticed a black haired woman look up at him before screaming and running into the shelter of her home, calling for her father.  
  
An old man stepped out, obviously the priest Sesshoumaru was searching for, and when the man realized who it was, he began to laugh.  
  
"You'll never find Tetsusaiga!! It was meant for your half-brother, not you!" He continued to laugh at the angered lord, and didn't realize how close the youkai was until the claws had already begun to press against his throat.  
  
"Where. Is. It." He gritted out, fighting hard not to just snap his neck and vent out his frustration. The old man laughed again, and Sesshoumaru began to see red.  
  
"It's in your father's tomb!! My daughter and I put it there, and now you will never find it, because only we know where it and the Tetsusaiga is!" He began to laugh again, and finally Sesshoumaru's annoyance became too much, and he quickly jerked his arm to the side, effectively snapping the old man's neck and killing him, the laughter almost seeming to still be pouring from his lips. This scene did not go unnoticed by the woman, though, and she began to scream hysterically, not even bothering to defend herself when Sesshoumaru slammed his fist against her chest, shattering her breastbone and sending the pieces into her heart, killing her instantly.  
  
When the red faded from his vision, the Taiyoukai berated himself for his lack of patience and his haste to kill the only two people who could have possibly told him where his father's grave was. Then he heard it.  
  
"Seeing, but not seen. Protected, but not known to its protector. Tetsusaiga lies..." The woman had managed to choke out the final words before another shrill scream cut through the air, and she fell completely limp, blood dripping from her lips. Sesshoumaru's mental scolding grew stronger, as the woman seemed to have been more willing to tell him than the old man.  
  
Jaken came closer to them and looked back and forth between them. "My lord?" Sesshoumaru turned cold eyes to the servant who had taken to following him everywhere. "If you wish, my lord, we could always have someone skilled in magic use the link between them and the sword to make them find it, even though they're dead." Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow at this. Every now and then, the old toad thought of something intelligent. It was the only reason he was still alive.  
  
After delivering a short nod to the youkai, the young lord decided to go and visit his brother, hoping to be able to teach him how to fight without a sword until they could find their father's fang. He never realized that the old flea had leapt off already, and was going to go on his own search in hopes of finding the grave before the apparently cold-hearted youkai could.  
  
~~*~~  
  
Inuyasha was winning.  
  
Well, he WOULD be if he had other attacks rather than just slicing at them with his claws when they got close enough.  
  
Sesshoumaru sighed softly and tried to think of a way to make his brother learn a new technique from him. Then, it was a matter of which technique. When his mind finally landed on a way, and an attack, he smirked. It was one of his father's two favorite claws-only techniques. The other required blood, but for now... He could teach Inuyasha the Sankontetsou. (Did I spell that right?? Someone tell me!)  
  
Quickly, Sesshoumaru raced up from behind his brother and stood slightly in front of him and to the side, allowing Inuyasha to get a good view of what was about to happen. Forcing his energy into his hands, he brought his arm up before dropping it down at a speed that shattered the very air molecules around it, sending blades of light aimed towards the adversary, quietly stating "Sankontetsou" so that his brother would just hear it.  
  
When the enemy was destroyed, the Taiyoukai noticed how his younger brother was staring at his own claws and moving them through the air quickly, trying to copy the attack. "You're too slow." He told the boy, and watched as the pup tensed and glared back at him. This time, Inuyasha brought his arm up and then back down, fast enough for weak blades of light to shakily make their way towards him. Quickly dodging the attack, Sesshoumaru stared down at his only other sibling. "I'll come back once you're able to attack me properly. No point in defeating a weakling." He remembered when his own father said that to him, and how it made him train harder in order to PROVE that he wasn't weak.  
  
And now, he knew Inuyasha would do the same.  
  
Leaving his younger brother to fume and practice, Sesshoumaru headed back towards his castle, to see whether or not Jaken had been able to find someone to use the two corpses to create a way to find Tetsusaiga.  
  
~~*~~  
  
Upon his arrival, he saw the youkai looked vaguely proud of himself. A few moments later, Sesshoumaru learned that Jaken HAD been able to find someone who had an idea to use the two people's heads to find the location of both the sword and the grave. The demon lord merely accepted this with a faint nod before walking back to his own room, then moving on to stand before his brother's room, where everything looked exactly like how it had been left.  
  
He smiled as he saw the ragged ball nearby, the one he and his brother would play with when they had played together, and which Inuyasha played alone with when Sesshoumaru was busy speaking to his father. He recalled the event where his brother had been mocked and teased by the humans around him, and how Sesshoumaru had wanted to hurt every one of those humans who made his brother learn about being a hanyou, and made his mother cry. He never told them how he had later gone to each human, and threatened to deliver them right into his father's hands if they did not show the proper respect to their betters.  
  
Then his eye caught the picture on his brother's desk. It had never been used for much, other than to display his sibling's 'treasures', which could have been anything from rocks and an odd flower, down to the intricate pictures their mother would draw. And that's what he was looking at now. He remembered when that picture had been drawn.  
  
He and Inuyasha had been playing outside again, trying to catch each other, then swimming in the nearby spring that their father had rid of any youkai, and finally racing each other back to the castle and to their mother's room, arguing who would get to sit next to her at dinner that night.  
  
~~*~~ Flashback ~~*~~  
  
"Nuh uh!! I want to sit next to Mama! You sat next to her last night!" A sleepy Inuyasha turned tired eyes to his brother, intent on winning the right to sit beside their mother. Sesshoumaru would have argued, but then noticed how his younger brother seemed to be falling asleep where he stood. Sighing, he lifted his brother and cradled him in his arms, knowing it was past his naptime. But he also knew Inuyasha wouldn't go to sleep unless their mother was there to sing them to sleep.  
  
The elder brother to his younger to their parent's room, where he readjusted Inuyasha enough to be able to open the door. Their mother sat at her own desk, drawing a picture of a sakura blossom with her ink and brush. When she heard the door open, though, she turned to look at her sons, standing in the doorway, Sesshoumaru holding his baby brother with delicate care. Their mother had smiled and whispered for Sesshoumaru not to move as she pulled out another scroll and began to draw, singing softly to lull Inuyasha to sleep as she worked, looking up at them continuously.  
  
When she finally put the brush down and stretched out, Sesshoumaru felt like he was willing to take a nap, too. He had stood there for a good hour or so, and Inuyasha had fallen asleep within the first few minutes. But what he saw when his mother called him over to look made it worth it.  
  
There, captured perfectly, was Sesshoumaru, holding his baby brother lovingly in his arms as he looked up from the paper, and Inuyasha was sleeping soundly, his tiny, clawed thumb tucked into his mouth.  
  
~~*~~ End Flashback ~~*~~  
  
Staring down at the paper, he felt his heart tighten. Things were so much happier in those days, before they were attacked.  
  
With another sigh, Sesshoumaru sat in the middle of his brother's room and closed his eyes, inhaling deeply of his family's scent. He fought back the tears that wanted to surface and drew his sword, Tenseiga. Wanting to test his theory out, he drew the blade over his left arm, trying to see if the skin would break and blood would spill, but it didn't. Instead, a faint pink light emitted from where the cut should be, healing the wound before it could even be made.  
  
Accepting the sword's abilities, he sheathed the katana and laid down on his brother's bed, inhaling the scent deeply before drifting off to sleep, dreaming about memories of happier times. His last waking thought was, "I must find Father's tomb and retrieve Tetsusaiga. Then, when Inuyasha has mastered his claw attacks, he can have the sword."  
  
With a yawn, the inuyoukai rolled over and fell into a deep sleep.  
  
~~*~~  
  
And so, the race to find the tomb of the former Lord of the Western Lands began, and Inuyasha learned a new attack.  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
I know, I know, wasn't that long, and it wasn't that great. But, I'm tired, my back hurts, I just learned I'll probably end up failing one of my classes, and it's 11 at night. I'm off to bed, you guys. I hope this helps you make it though till next week, which is the LAST of my classes for a MONTH!! A whole month to write... ah... 


End file.
